Ex-Henderson resident sentenced in animal crush video case
A former Henderson resident was sentenced Wednesday in Oregon to four years in prison for his role in producing so-called animal crush videos.
David Christopher Noble, a former U.S. Air Force officer, pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to engage in animal crushing and creating and distributing animal crush videos, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Oregon.
“The victims in this case cannot speak for themselves, but the impact of the grotesque violence brought upon them is unmistakable. At the direction of David Noble and his co-conspirators, the producers of these animal abuse videos not only killed monkeys but did so in a way that extended their pain and suffering as long as possible,” Nathan Lichvarcik, chief of the U.S. attorney’s Eugene and Medford branch offices, said in a statement. “Today’s sentence should make it clear to others engaged in this heinous conduct that they will be held responsible for their crimes.”
A three-count indictment brought against Noble in May by a grand jury in Oregon accused him of working with a group of several other people — referred to as the “Group” in court documents — to create the videos of animals being tortured and killed. He also is accused of illegally owning a Colt M4 rifle.
“Mr. Noble was more than a passive Group member enjoying grotesque videos,” court documents state.
A June 14 memo from federal prosecutors in Las Vegas argued that Noble should be held in custody, and described the videos as “stomach churning” and “horrific.”
In that memo, prosecutors noted that shortly after a search warrant in the case was executed in January 2023, Noble left his family home in Prineville, Oregon, to live with other family members in Henderson. Noble was under no court-ordered conditions at the time, but it “illustrates a willingness and ability to quickly depart upon being faced with potential consequences for his actions,” the memo argued.
The indictment alleged that the group would share and watch the videos in an encrypted online chatroom and also discuss the funding of them, which the group did through online payment apps. The group used videographers and animals in other countries, including Indonesia, paying them “paltry sums” to make the videos, court documents stated.
Authorities found over 50 animal crush videos on Noble’s phone, and they accused him of funding at least 12 videos.
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on X.
